Courses We Teach

If you're interested in building performance we (Gavin Healy and Dan Perunko) teach several classes to help contractors, architects, engineers, home design professionals, and homeowners understand how to improve typical California building details to achieve high performance outcomes.

Utility Courses

The following courses are ofered by the Energy Trainning Centers of California's Utility Companies. To find out about free upcoming classes, please check the current online course schedule. If you see a class that is not currently offered by your ultility or your utility company is not listed you may request the course be added by contacting the training center of the utility company.

Insulation and Air Sealing for High Performance Homes: This one day class has been offered by the PG&E and Sacramento Municipal Utility District to help contractors understand building air pressures, thermal performance and the hands-on details to address those issues in existing homes.

Design Details for Home Performance Contractors: This one day class builds on concepts laid out in "Insulation and Air Sealing for High Performance Homes". The class covers more 'tricks of the trade' for improving building envelope and mechanical systems. The class focuses more specifically on typical materials and fittings that have been successfully used to achieve performance outcomes.

Zero Net Energy Home Retrofits-Envelopes: This one day course is co-taught with Rick Chitwood of Chitwood Energy Mangement. The course focuses on taking advantage of the opportunities presented by typical building practices to move exstitng homes to zero net energy. The course evaluates the efficacy of new construction practices and lays out practical climate specific solutions that makes sense for the way we build in California.

Performance Factors for Effective Space Conditioning Systems: This one day course focuses on the critical performance factors to install high performance heating and cooling systems that work in California climates.

Balanced Ventilation: This one day course looks at the state of residential ventilation in California and proposed best practices for the installation of balanced ventilation systems. Outcomes include understanding how to design ventilation duct systems to meet the many real world demands of our houses and their occupants to provide continuous filtered air from a known source.

Heating and Air Commissioning Class: This two day class works through the small details that make a normal looking heat pump, air conditioner or hydronic air handler perform to their highest potential. Whether it's the equipment dip switches, thermostat wiring or water flow regulation, these tricks are critical to meeting performance outcomes. Learn hands-on in this class.

Private/ Non Profit Courses

Balance Point Home Performance provides contract training services to the following organizations. If you are interested in the trainings that we provide through third party training facilities you can contact us directly or inquire with the organizations listed below to find out when we are scheduled to train next. If you would like to design a custom training to meet your organizations needs please contact us at 530-477-0695. There are a lot of trainings in the world, we specialize in delivering courses based on real world conditions presented by the California building stock. If you want to go beyond the basics that you may have learned in an introductory building science course, we can help meet your goals.

California Building Performance Contractors Association (CBPCA): Level 1-2, three day building science course, Level 3-4 BPI written and field exam study courses, and level 5 two week plus hands-on field retrofit course. Course held throughout the state of California. Courses are offered on a for fee basis (fee frequently offset by hosting program or grant).

Energy Conservation Institute (ECI): Six day building science modules and BPI training courses held throughout the State of California.Courses are offered on a for fee basis (fee frequently offset by hosting program or grant).

California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE): Get Up program, two week hands-on field training for retrofitting critical envelope and mechanical systems to achieve high performance outcomes.

In addition to these classes we have provided the following offerings through Affordable Comfort Inc:

California Crawl Spaces part 1 and 2 webinar

Fixing Wet Crawl Spaces

Conditioning Crawl Spaces

Upcoming Classes

Utility Classes: We teach a variety of classes through many of the utility companies in California. These classes are offered free to participants, and supported by the ratepayers of those utility companies. It is a great opportunity to learn more about real measured home performance. You can register for one of our classes through the utility companies websites.

Affordable Comfort: "Home Performance Coalition" Looking to go to a great conference, at ACI we teach unique classes focusing on measurable building performance, often in conjunction with other high quality instructors.

Testimonials

David and Allison Samson, Nevada City, CA I thought you'd be interested to know that last month our Ferrell gas bill was 330 and the one I just got was only 157. Awesome decrease of 52%!